If you're invited to a wedding and have been given a plus one, it's not uncommon to take a close friend or even a family member with you if you don't have a partner who would traditionally fill the role.
But one woman has been left frustrated after she invited her best mate, Michael, to an upcoming wedding, as she claimed his girlfriend was so "upset" by the idea that she banned him from attending.
The woman said she was supposed to go to the wedding with her own boyfriend but after going through a "pretty tough breakup", she chose to ask her friend to come with her instead.
The invite upset Michael's girlfriend Laura, and the woman has claimed she can't understand why Laura would be upset - despite also admitting to once having feelings for Michael.
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In a post on Reddit, she said: "I am best friends with Michael. Michael lives with his girlfriend Laura and they have been together for about four years.
"I've never been a big fan of Laura. A few years ago, Michael went through a pretty traumatic breakup and I always felt like Laura swooped in without giving him the time he needed to heal. But she makes Michael happy and that's all that matters.
"I recently went through a pretty tough breakup and as luck would have it, I am going to a wedding next week. As my ex will no longer be joining me, I figured I'd ask Michael if he'd like to be my date.
"Apparently, this made Laura kind of upset. My relationship with Michael has always been platonic. Full disclosure: there was one moment (when he and Laura were first seeing each other but not dating exclusively) where I thought I might have had feelings for Michael and expressed this to him, but he didn't feel the same way and we all moved on!
"I really just want a buddy to goof around with at this wedding, and was kind of annoyed that Laura got upset. My roommate said it's kind of frowned upon to ask someone else's boyfriend to a wedding, but I feel like that's a rule straight out of the 1950s."
Commenters on the Reddit post were understanding of why the man's girlfriend would be unhappy, with many saying the woman was out of line by asking him to be her date.
One person wrote: "It's not a matter of what is frowned upon by society, it's a matter of each couple's boundaries. Laura has every right to be upset about the idea of her boyfriend of four years being another woman's plus one at a wedding.
"Not just any other woman, but his best friend who once had unrequited feelings for him, who openly dislikes her, and who has just broken up with someone who is lonely and vulnerable."
While another said: "1950 or 2022, imagine your significant other going to a wedding to 'goof around' with a 'platonic' long-term female friend who may or may not have feelings for him right after she's recently single."
And a third posted: "You're not the a**hole for asking, but you would be the a**hole if you get upset if he won't come. I can see why his girlfriend won't agree, though."
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